Murder charge laid after police raids in GTA

TORONTO - A Toronto man who was among more than 20 people arrested in a series of raids in the city and surrounding areas Thursday has been charged in the shooting death of another man earlier this year.

Thanh Tung Phan, 27, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of criminal harassment in the death of Peter Nguyen.

The 26-year-old was gunned down Feb. 4 (in the area of Yonge Street and Deloraine Avenue).

Phan's arrest came as police officers from several forces executed search warrants at locations around the Toronto area in connection with an investigation dubbed Project Wheeler.

Durham Region police say three guns were seized in the raids, along with a quantity of drugs and cash.

They say more information will be released as it becomes available.

Officers were seen using stun grenades, police dogs and battering rams during the raids.

A resident of a Toronto apartment building (near Don Mills Road and Overlea Boulevard) that was raided says he woke up to what he first thought was the sound of gunfire.

"All we heard was the dogs barking and a big bang and them yelling," he said. "We thought at first it was a gunshot."

Other raids were reported in west-end Toronto and a neighbourhood just east of downtown (on Broadview Avenue near Queen Street East).